From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Ijaw Youths have condemned the federal government (FG) over moves to re-arrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The FG had few days ago hinted in court processes it filed that it wants to re-arrest Kanu over allegations that he had breached his bail conditions.

But IYC in a statement by Eric Omare said the FG is displaying double standards by treating other youth groups in the country engaged in agitations with kid gloves.

According to the group, the actions and body language of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration shows deliberate institutionalisation of double standards in national affairs.

It warned that the arrest of Kanu would heat up the polity with unimaginable consequences.

The advised that “It is the height of nepotism and sectionalism for the Buhari’s administration to treat the Arewa youth leaders who committed serious offence bothering on national security with kid gloves and being hosted to state dinners while leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kalu is threatened with arrest and several Niger Delta activist languishing in detention.

The way the Arewa youths were treated clearly justifies our earlier position that the quit notice was politically motivated and had the backing of the Hausa/Fulani political class. The IYC is convinced that if the Arewa youth leaders were to be members of IPOB or from the Niger Delta region, they would have been in DSS underground detention cells by now.

The IYC condemn this institutionalization of double standard in national affairs by the Buhari administration in the strongest terms. We wish to state clearly that with the way and manner the Arewa youth leaders were treated, the Buhari administration has lost the justification to threaten to arrest Mr. Nnamdi Kalu or any other agitator in the southern part of Nigeria. Nigerians ought to be treated equally irrespective of their place of origin or ethnic background. We also strongly advise against the planned revocation of the bail and arrest of the leaders of IPOB, Kanu

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